It’s a New Day at NAATP

I just returned from NAATP National 2017, the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers’ (NAATP) annual national conference. Yes, it’s a new day.

We had the privilege of working with NAATP’s then-new leadership team on an organizational rebranding. We did the whole package – a brand assessment with stakeholder interviews and membership surveys; mission, vision, and values work based on assessment data; and a new logo and key messaging.

Working with their leadership team made a big impression on me. They were (and are) dynamic, personally invested in the mission, intent on raising the standard in industry ethics, serious about their advocacy, and dedicated to studying treatment outcomes.

Their passion and smarts pretty much made us all sure they would succeed. Now, I see it in action.

I talk a lot about the “inside job” of branding – the work behind the scenes, the organizational soul searching that helps them know who they are and what makes them special. This work helps to unify an organization and get everyone moving in the same direction. It leads to a belief in mission and an adherence to core values. It leads to growth.

I saw it in person. The new NAATP embraced their new brand, took a position and owned it. They created a strategic plan and aligned with the right staff in the right roles. And it’s working, affecting the entire organization.

As a NAATP member, I can see it up close.

The energy at the conference was off the charts. It was alive. The conversations were intense, focused on the effectiveness of different treatment modalities, improving the treatment experience, the ethics of marketing, and attracting patients. I attended marketing sessions that sparked healthy, heated, back-and-forth dialogue. Exactly how it should be.

I spoke to a number of treatment center executives about the value of branding and marketing. They were interested in the assessment process, learning how to differentiate, and the value and role of paid search and where it fits within a strategic plan.

It’s a new day at NAATP. Awareness is growing. Their mission is in action. I’m proud to be a member, and honored to have played a role in their rebranding.